Zachor Journey to Poland & Israel May 17 – 28, 2017 Itinerary Proposal (As of October 18, 2017 – Subject to Change) Wednesday May 17 10:15 PM departure from JFK Airport on LOT flight #27 ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thursday May 18 Arrive in Poland which was home to over 3,300,000 Jews before the Shoah 12:40 PM arrival at Chopin Airport in Warsaw Tour the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Learn about the ups and downs and diversity of 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland in what was once the center of the Jewish world. Visit the Nozyk Synagogue, the only surviving pre-war synagogue in Warsaw. Check-in at our hotel Dinner Overnight: Novotel Centrum Hotel, Warsaw Friday May 19 Warsaw-Chelmno-Lodz-Krakow Breakfast at the hotel - Pack bus and depart hotel Stand in solemn memory at the site of the Chelmno Death Camp where the Nazis murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews using gas vans. Visit the memorial at the Radegast Railway Station in Lodz, from where over 140,000 Jews were sent to be murdered at Auschwitz and elsewhere Continue to Krakow – Packed Lunch en-route Check-in at our hotel in Krakow Kabbalat Shabbat at local synagogue(s) Shabbat dinner at the Krakow JCC - meet local leaders and learn about their vision for the Krakow Jewish community. Overnight: Golden Tulip Kazimierz Hotel, Krakow Shabbat May 20 Shabbat in Krakow. Prior to WWII, the 60,000 Jews of Krakow were 25% of the city’s population. Breakfast at the hotel Shabbat morning prayer services at local synagogue(s) Shabbat lunch Meet a “Righteous Gentile” who risked all to save Jews during the Shoah. Processing Session Walking tour the historic Krakow Old Town Square Dinner and Havdallah (9:09 PM) Overnight: Golden Tulip Kazimierz Hotel, Krakow Sunday May 21 Krakow-Auschwitz-Rzeszow Breakfast at the hotel – pack bus and depart hotel Explore the Kazmierz Old Jewish Quarter of Krakow. Sites include: Ramah Synagogue and Cemetery, Isaac and Temple Synagogues See part of the Nazi era Krakow Ghetto including a section of the Ghetto Wall Head to Auschwitz-Birkenau Polish State Museum & Memorial where over 1,000,000 Jews were murdered. Packed Lunch Start at the site of Auschwitz II Birkenau Death Camp Continue to the Auschwitz I Concentration Camp. Visit the barracks, museum exhibits and gas chamber. Dinner Check-in at our hotel in Rzeszow Overnight: Hotel Rzeszow, Rzeszow Monday May 22 Rzeszow-Lancut-Belzec-Lublin Breakfast at the hotel - Pack bus and depart hotel Stand in memory at the site of the Old Synagogue in Rzeszow. The 14,000 Jews of Rzeszow were about 35% of the town before the Shoah. Continue to the Glogow Forest Memorial near Rzeszow where the Nazis murdered thousands of Jews from Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Glogow, Lancut, Lejansk, Sokolow and elsewhere. Visit the beautifully restored 18th century synagogue in Lancut, home to 2,000 Jews before the Shoa Packed Lunch Stand in solemn memory at the museum and memorial at the site of the Belzec Nazi Death Camp where over half a million Jews – including most of the Jews of Galicia- were murdered. Head to Lublin whose 38,000 Jews were 30% of the city before the Shoah See the site of former Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva (now the Ilan Hotel) founded in 1930 by Rabbi Meir Shapiro to bring a new dignity and status to the study of Torah. Rabbi Shapiro also founded the Daf Yomi movement. Check-in and dinner at our hotel Overnight: Campanile Hotel, Lublin Tuesday May 23 Majdanek – Warsaw Warsaw was home to over 350,000 Jews before the Shoah Breakfast at the hotel - Pack bus and depart hotel Learn and remember at the site of the Majdanek Concentration Camp. Packed Lunch Continue to Warsaw Explore “The Life that Was” at Warsaw’s Genscha Street Cemetery. Dating to 1799, it has over 200,000 graves. It also includes mass graves for thousands of Jewish victims of the Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto. Walk the Jewish Path of Remembrance from the UmshlagPlatz, to Mila 18 and the Rappaport Memorial in what had been the Nazi era Warsaw Ghetto Ceremony at the Rappaport Memorial Processing Session and Dinner Head to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport for LOT flight #151 departing at 10:55 PM Wednesday May 24 - Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Re-Unification Day) 3:45 AM arrival at Ben Gurion Internation Airport in Israel. Transition ceremony at the Zaglembie Shoah Memorial in the Modiin Forest Ascend to Jerusalem; celebrate our arrival with Shehechiyanu Check-in, breakfast and relax at our hotel in Jerusalem Lunch on your own Afternoon: Join in the celebration of Yom Yerushalayim as Israel marks 50 years since the miraculous victory in the Six Day War. Visit some of the sites associated with the struggle for Jerusalem in 1948 and 1967. Dinner Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem Thursday May 25 Settlements: An Obstacle to Peace? Breakfast at the hotel . Session at the hotel with Khaled Abu Toameh, former Arab Affairs Correspondent for the Jerusalem Post. Can Israel and the Palestinian Authority Make Peace? . Visit the restored Jewish communities of Gush Etzion and Efrat; see firsthand what a settlement is. Meet with Roots/Judur/Shorashim: The Palestinian Israeli Initiative for Understanding, Nonviolence and Reconciliation, bringing together Jews & Arabs living in the Efrat/Gush Etzion area for dialogue and interaction. Wine tasting and lunch at the award winning Gush Etzion Winery . See the new audio visual program at the Kibbutz Kfar Etzion Heritage Center that tells the dramatic story of the Jewish communities that were destroyed in Gush Etzion in 1948. Meet Efrat Mayor Oded Ravivi : Are Settlements an Obstacle to Peace? . Evening and dinner on your own in Jerusalem Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem Friday May 26 The Complex Mosaic of Modern Israel Breakfast at the hotel Meet former Jerusalem City Council member Anat Hoffman, Director of the Israel Religious Action Center & a leader of Women of the Wall. .Learn about the struggle for religious pluralism in Israel Head to an "Ultra Orthodox" neighborhood for dialogue with local residents to gain deeper understanding of the values and goals of this community which is the fastest growing segment of the Jewish world. Lunch on your own Visit one of Jerusalem’s many churches, meet local clergy and learn about the Christian presence and traditions in Jerusalem Time on your own in Jerusalem. Return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat Shabbat Candle lighting : 6:56 PM . Kabbalat Shabbat at one of Jerusalem’s many synagogues or join thousands in greeting Shabbat with song, dance and prayer at the Kotel. Walk back to the hotel for Shabbat Dinner Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem Shabbat May 27 Shabbat Shalom in Jerusalem Breakfast at the hotel Enjoy the special atmosphere of Shabbat in Jerusalem by exploring the city on your own or participating in Shabbat prayers at one of Jerusalem’s many synagogues. Synagogue options include Shira Chadasha, Kol HaNeshama, The Great Synagogue, and Moreshet Israel. Note: The Israel Museum is open from 10 AM – 4 PM. The Tower of David Museum is open from 10 AM – 2 PM. Late morning study session Shabbat Lunch at the hotel followed by Shabbat rest and free time. 6:00 PM - Meet for our summary session and farewell dinner Havdallah (8:17 PM) 8:45 PM – Check out of the hotel and pack bus for departure to Ben Gurion International Airport Sunday May 28 Shalom Ulehitraot! 12:45 AM departure from Ben Gurion International Airport on El Al flight #001 5:50 AM – Arrive at JFK Airport Listed activities and speakers are subject to availability. Program will be staffed by a Keshet Tour Educator plus a local tour guide in Poland Underlined meals are included in the package price. This itinerary is proprietary to Keshet and is intended for the promotion of and to inform those considering joining this Keshet trip. It is not to be transmitted to any other party without prior authorization from Keshet The Center for Educational Tourism PO Box 8540 Jerusalem 91084 Israel P h o n e : 9 7 2 - 2 - 671- 3518 | Fax: 972 - 2 - 671- 3624 [email protected] | www.keshetisrael.co.il .